Saturday, March 10, 2012

AKC TAKES A STAND

Dennis Sprung, AKC President & CEO

The controversy over the british kennel Club's new certification of breed winners at Crufts has prompted the American Kennel Club to respond. The AKC is preparing an official press release concerning the controversy over the disqualifications at Crufts becasue of the Br, but we want to share a preliminary message from Dennis Sprung, AKC President & Chief Executive Officer.

From: Dennis Sprung [mailto:DBS@akc.org]Sent: Friday, March 09, 2012 5:26 PMSubject: Fw: Any advice for Bulldog Club of America (BCA) and the other targeted breeds??

my response to staff is below and I am sending to you for PCs to know what is going on as emails and texts are flying (Unfortunately tonight BOB was also taken away from the Clumber Spaniel)..

We should prepare a statement after all facts are in. However you can assure and share with everyone that AKC will NEVER allow any such practice to occur. Our Parent Clubs own their respective standard and we support them 100 percent. Furthermore a Judges' decision is final and we respect that as well. The situation is a very disappointing one here from the point of view of breeders, exhibitors and judges and fanciers from around the world. In summary while our PCs have a right to be upset and concerned I will never allow this wrongful practice in America. Never!!! Dennis

We are very please that AKC has taken such a strong position, but we caution all our readers not to let AKC face this alone. You need to fight this on every front. Our way of life depends upon your participation.

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comments:

Also remember that AKC supports those breeds that are cropped and/or docked. It is, at least for how, still a free country but it is getting more and more frightening how much influence the AR activists are having (and succeeding) with the general public. I am sick to death of the "feel good" mentality that has seemed to invaded otherwise sensible people. It doesn't have to be all or nothing - if you want a rescue dog, fine, have one, but don't look down your nose at someone that makes a well-thought out, educated decision to add a purebred dog to their home! Sorry-sort of got off topic a bit...

just casual observer. But I feel the KC stand COULD be a positive one. Not laying the bllame on anyone and not anti-purebred but SOME of these dogs have become messes w some judging wanting exaggerated looks rather than sound healthy dogs capable of doing there intended jobs.

Not one of you have actually even mentioned the issue of health and why its acceptable not to care. I think its hilarious that all of a sudden you 'average brained people' are cleverer than science. When yet you rely on science for your cancer treatment, your processed food which make most of your country so massive .. its clever enough then .. but when its plain staring you in the face GENETICS .. oh no suddenly your the experts. Its fact!! I dont know what is up wiith the dog world. Trainers think their better then one another, breeders think they no it all your all so snobby. I have two degrees in animals science and i still dont know it all. But i do no your all ridiculous.

Love to 'no' how you earned those degrees without adequate grounding in simple English and its proper usage. Not to mention the glaring red herring here... not ONE of these people has said that they did not care about health. Simply that they disagree with Cruft's position, and they are not alone in this. I too have more than one animal science degree, and your position fails on more than one count. "Genetics?" What 'fact' exactly do you refer to, aside from the 'fact' that all animals have genes? Do you have ANY clue about the difference between assortative mating, and a planned breeding program based on health criteria? No? I didn't think so. So don't bother snickering at your betters, you are not impressing anyone here.

I applaud Crufts for there decision to health check the dogs. Of course it will be met with anger to begin with... But I feel it is a step in the right direction. And breeders who care about the health of there breed and know there dogs are healthy should have nothing to fear.

^^ agreed. There has to be a middle ground, to keep only healthy stock in the ring. It's insane that the desire for a dog that can't breathe because it makes them cute overtakes the desire for healthy functional dogs.

I do not see anywhere where they say do not have the breed's health at heart-They are complaining on the way it was all done. The checks should have been done before any of the breeds were shown and not just a few select breeds-If you are to be honest-Just because the dog was not one of the targeted breeds entering the ring does not guarantee it was without problems. It just means they were not targeted so were not checked. Seemed too AR driven to be fair

Not to mention, it was CLEAR there was an agenda against brachycephalics and dwarf breeds, and they were going to be adjudged as 'unhealthy' based on looks alone despite any other health factor being considered. Funny thing, LOTS of brachies and short legged breeds live to advanced old age; often longer than many of the giant breeds that were NOT so targeted. That is nothing about 'improving health;' it is nothing but witch hunt, plain and simple. Nothing scientific or 'helpful' about it. Trying to paint it as anything else is like the old lipstick on a pig reference; no matter how much lipstick you apply, it's still a pig.

Didn't the Border Collie folk want to remain with an ILP system? Or lacking that, to have a herding requirement for the CH? What about the Doberman Club request to ban albino Dobermans? If a breed club is in control, shouldn't they have the standard they want and not what AKC says it should be? If a breed club wanted to have a health requirement before going into the ring would AKC allow it? Or state that it isn't part of the conformation protocol?

As a purebred lover who enjoys showing and spectating, as WELL as rescuing (since those two should really go hand in hand...) I'm upset to see that so many people feel health screenings shouldn't be necessary for show dogs. I can understand that one may be upset over the idea of a winning dog being stripped of their title AFTER the fact, no one can argue that, and certainly if one breed is checked, all should be checked. But this idea that AR activists have taken it too far is ridiculous. We should always be striving for beautiful AND healthy animals. If you aren't, you really have no business breeding or showing for that matter. AR activists are often annoying yes, in many ways, but I don't see how this is one of them for responsible breeders and owners.

As has been pointed out by Mike Gadsby, the Peke was DQd for an old scar on a cornea probably caused by an injury while playing at some time. The Palacegarden pekes have a yard in which they play and run - will this stop them and perhaps others from allowing their dogs free running exercise? You can certainly see it going that way as people will be paranoid that a hunting or coursing or simple play injury could cause their dog to be DQd. It's an AR agenda, plain and simple and anyone who can't see that is not very congnizant of what is going on in the dog world today.

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The author has been attending dog shows as a spectator and exhibitor for over 45 years. He is a retired management consultant who has advised multiple organizations affiliated with the AKC and the Cat Fanciers Association on business management, long range planning, customer service, and legislative matters. After 25 years of living in the big cities of New York, San Francisco, and Washington, DC, he now resides in his hometown of Memphis, TN.

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